Under former CEO Mike Ullman and new CEO Ron Johnson, the retailer continues its efforts to make diversity an essential part of its business mission to invigorate its stores and gain market share.

The company’s values are key to its success with multicultural customers, and that was evident in its recent decision to name Ellen DeGeneres as its spokesperson and to support her despite criticism from anti-gay groups.

Jcpenney’s focus on diversity starts at the top, with a strong executive diversity council, chaired by the CEO. The group sets goals, evaluates diversity-management progress and includes rotational positions for leaders of the associate resource teams.

Those groups are at the cornerstone of jcpenney’s increasing ability to connect with multicultural customers. The 14 groups are available company-wide, including for hourly workers, which is unusual for large retailers. The groups meet during the workday, have senior executives as sponsors (most are cross-cultural), and communicate with each other and the entire organization about their activities. They are used for recruitment, talent development and diversity training, but their most innovative use is with the company’s field councils, out in the stores and in communities, where they provide both market research and deep understanding of multicultural communities. The company continues its efforts to help its communities, with more than half its philanthropy going to multicultural nonprofits.

U.S. Headquarters: Plano, Texas

U.S. Employees: 157,032

Last Year’s DiversityInc Top 50 Ranking: No. 35